Epilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder characterized by recurrent unprovoked seizures. These seizures are transient signs and/or symptoms of abnormal, excessive or synchronous neuronal activity in the brain. About 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy, with almost 90% of these people residing in developing countries. Epilepsy is more likely to occur in young children or people over the age of 65 years; however, it can occur at any age. Epilepsy is usually controlled, but not cured, with pharmacotherapy, although surgery may be indicated in exceptional cases. Despite the reliance on pharmacotherapy as the primary approach in controlling the disease, over 30% of people with epilepsy do not have seizure control even with the best available medications. Not all epilepsy syndromes are life-long; some forms are confined to particular stages of childhood. Epilepsy should not be understood as a single disorder, but rather as a group of syndromes with vastly divergent symptoms, but all involving episodic abnormal electrical activity in the brain.
Seizure types are organized firstly according to whether the source of the seizure within the brain is localized (partial or focal onset seizures) or distributed (generalized seizures). Partial seizures are further divided on the extent to which consciousness is affected. If it is unaffected, then it is a simple partial seizure; otherwise it is a complex partial (psychomotor) seizure. A partial seizure may spread within the brain—a process known as secondary generalization. Generalized seizures are divided according to the effect on the body, but all involve loss of consciousness. These include absence (petit mal), myoclonic, clonic, tonic, tonic-clonic (grand mal) and atonic seizures.
There are over 40 different types of epileptic conditions, including: absence seizures, atonic seizures, benign Rolandic epilepsy, childhood absence, clonic seizures, complex partial seizures, frontal lobe epilepsy, febrile seizures, infantile spasms, juvenile myoclonic epilepsy, juvenile absence epilepsy, Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, Landau-Klefier syndrome, myoclonic seizures, mitochondrial disorders, progressive myoclonic epilepsies, psychogenic seizures, reflex epilepsy, Rasmussen's syndrome, simple partial seizures, secondarily generalized seizures, temporal lobe epilepsy, toni-clonic seizures, tonic seizures, psychomotor seizures, limbic epilepsy, partial-onset seizures, generalized-onset seizures, status epilepticus, abdominal epilepsy, akinetic seizures, auto-nomic seizures, massive bilateral myoclonus, catamenial epilepsy, drop seizures, emotional seizures, focal seizures, gelastic seizures, Jacksonian march, Lafora disease, motor seizures, multifocal seizures, neonatal seizures, nocturnal seizures, photosensitive seizure, pseudo seizures, sensory seizures, subtle seizures, Sylvan seizures, withdrawal seizures, and visual reflex seizures, among others.
Anticonvulsants are generally prescribed for the treatment of individuals suffering from or prone to epilepsy. The 3-alkoxypropionamides represent one such class of compounds. The 3-alkoxypropionamides are also used in the treatment of individuals suffering from or prone to neuropathic pain. Treatment of individuals with these compounds, however, is associated with many side effects, including: vertigo; diplopia; blurred vision; nausea; vomiting; dizziness; ataxia; and tremor.
Therefore, pharmacotherapy with such therapeutic 3-alkoxypropionamides would be improved if these and/or other adverse or side effects associated with their use could be decreased or if their pharmacology could otherwise be improved for this and/or for other indications. Thus, there is a large unmet need for developing novel 3-alkoxypropionamides.
The present invention seeks to address these and other needs in the art.